Post #768162 by Ragbag Comics on Sat, Sep 3, 2016 10:33 AM

We went to check out Wauwatiki a couple months ago...

Staff was very friendly, the drinks were quite good and tasty, we didn't sample the food because it was just appetizers and stuff at that point, but have friends who have eaten there since who said the food is delicious.

We tried both an old standby (Mai Tai) and one of their in-house creations, and both were executed with care, fantastic garnish, and appropriate glassware from ChikiTiki. Both could definitely stand up well against any other new-era Tiki bar.

Unfortunately... all the other elements needed for a great Tiki bar are sorely lacking at present. We were there in the afternoon... there are two huge, sunny windows in the front of the bar, and in the back, a glass garage door that lets light pour in. There is a giant TV behind the bar (playing sports) and in the back room a somehow even more gigantic TV also playing sports.

Fortunately, at least on our visit, the sound was muted on both TVs... UNfortunately, the music they were playing instead was of the Bob Marley/Sublime/Jawaiian variety... we heard Shaggy, UB40... ugh. Not good. The volume was appropriate, so there's that.

Decor, otherwise, is extremely minimal at this point... some thatch over the bar, a kinda cool, subtle tiki-faces-in-relief wall behind the main row of booths, some bamboo, a couple lamps... but it mostly felt to me like a warehouse-y chain restaurant with good Tiki drinks, cool mugs (ChikiTiki) and a well-designed menu.

Saddest of all, Dave's awesome mask carving wasn't anywhere to be seen... again, we were there a few months ago, and they hadn't been at it too long at that point, so they might still be getting things arranged..

Overall, we left feeling kind of "Meh." We're all the way on the opposite end of town from Wauwatosa, so I am highly doubtful we'll be making the trek again unless something drastically changes. Maybe with enough input from Tiki lovers, they'll cover their windows, ditch the wall-sized TVs, swap out the Mr. Boombastic music for Martin Denny, add some density to their decor.... but... that's a lot to hope.

Side note: My wife and I went to Wauwatiki for one drink each, paid our tab and left while Sublime was playing. We drove straight due east for a palette cleanser at Foundation where we also had one drink each... our tab at Wauwatiki was exactly $6 more than at Foundation.

That kinda best wraps it up for me. We've been out near Tosa since, and haven't even thought about stopping in.

All that said, I don't like ragging on a place trying to find their sea legs. I hope they figure it out, but I am highly dubious that can happen if the owners think Sublime and rap-y 90's reggae music and huge, expensive TVs are part of the true, classic Tiki Bar experience.

It felt a little "this is popular now, let's try it." The menu design and drinks were great, but it was obvious some of those things were pretty directly lifted from Three Dots & a Dash... the little terrariums on the table, banana dolphins, etc. That all seems like a silly move to me, when one of the absolute best Tiki bars of the modern era is just 5 miles east.

--Pete